Man arrested after 3 shootings, at least 2 on I-85 in Alabama, Georgia

LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – A sheriff’s office is identifying the suspect arrested in connection to three shootings, at least two of which were along Interstate 85 in Alabama and Georgia Wednesday, as Jerel Raphael Brown, 39, of Montgomery.

One of the drivers who was shot was flown to a hospital in critical condition. A motive remains unclear.

According to the Troup County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, Brown was arrested in east Alabama around 12:15 p.m. when a Chambers County deputy spotted the suspect’s vehicle near the county courthouse in LaFayette.

“The deputy initiated a traffic stop and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident and turned over to Auburn Police,” according to a statement released by Troup County’s sheriff’s office.

Multiple law enforcement agencies had been on the look out for the white 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood sedan, which authorities had captured an image of “utilizing camera technology by a partner agency,” including its license plate.

Brown is facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and first-degree criminal damage in Troup County.

Auburn police have since confirmed Brown, whom it reported as being 45, is being held without bond at the Lee County Jail on charges of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied motor vehicle. More charges are possible as the investigation continued, the department said.

The investigations started around 6:15 a.m. when Auburn police responded to the area of I-85 northbound between mile markers 56 and 57 on reports that a vehicle was stopped in the road.

Another motorist had given the victim aid before first responders arrived, but officers quickly learned the victim, a 45-year-old Prattville man, had been shot from behind while driving. He was flown to a Montgomery hospital in critical condition.

Less than an hour later, at 7:56 EST, Troup County deputies responded to a situation along I-85 in Georgia in which a driver reported he’d been shot at. The victim was uninjured, according to WTVM.

Details on the third shooting remain unclear. Both the Auburn Police Department and Troup County Sheriff’s Office have stated that the incident happened in the Montgomery Police Department’s jurisdiction, without providing further details.

Reached for comment, the Montgomery Police Department referred all questions to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. An ALEA spokesperson later confirmed to WSFA 12 News that it was not handling the investigation.

Montgomery police have since confirmed a shooting incident Wednesday morning in the area of Atlanta Highway in which a woman reported her vehicle was damaged by gunfire. No one was injured. MPD has confirmed Brown is the suspect in that incident.

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